Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

From Pixel Stuffing to Bots: Avoiding Ad Fraud In Class Notice

By Cecily Uhlfelder and Robert DeWitte
September 01, 2024

Fraud accounts for 22% of yearly digital advertising expenditures, according to Juniper Research, resulting in losses of up to $84 billion for advertisers annually. Notice programs in the settlement context are not immune from this danger. Class counsel has a fiduciary duty to protect the best interests of the class, therefore protecting notice programs and the effectiveness of a digital advertising campaign is critical. Further, the recent tidal wave of suspicious claim filing may be connected to advertising (ad) fraud as well. Counsel would be remiss to brush aside concerns over ad fraud in favor of cheap digital notice campaigns. This article explores various risks to digital advertising from pixel stuffing and ad stacking to domain spoofing and bots. It will also explore what should be done to ensure ad fraud protection and improve effectiveness.

The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, coupled with the industry-wide adoption of programmatic advertising, poses a significant threat to the effectiveness and integrity of digital advertising campaigns. In contrast to historically traditional methods where actual real people negotiate prices and placements, programmatic advertising has largely taken over. This automated process of buying and selling digital online space — which takes a mere two hundred milliseconds to complete — involves the use of software and algorithms to manage real-time auctions, where marketers bid for ad space on websites, mobile apps and other digital platforms.

While revolutionizing the means of transacting digital advertising buying and selling, programmatic advertising (which currently comprises over 90% of U.S. digital display advertising) has greatly contributed to the current digital environment, now ripe with opportunities for ad fraud.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
How Secure Is the AI System Your Law Firm Is Using? Image

What Law Firms Need to Know Before Trusting AI Systems with Confidential Information In a profession where confidentiality is paramount, failing to address AI security concerns could have disastrous consequences. It is vital that law firms and those in related industries ask the right questions about AI security to protect their clients and their reputation.

COVID-19 and Lease Negotiations: Early Termination Provisions Image

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some tenants were able to negotiate termination agreements with their landlords. But even though a landlord may agree to terminate a lease to regain control of a defaulting tenant's space without costly and lengthy litigation, typically a defaulting tenant that otherwise has no contractual right to terminate its lease will be in a much weaker bargaining position with respect to the conditions for termination.

Pleading Importation: ITC Decisions Highlight Need for Adequate Evidentiary Support Image

The International Trade Commission is empowered to block the importation into the United States of products that infringe U.S. intellectual property rights, In the past, the ITC generally instituted investigations without questioning the importation allegations in the complaint, however in several recent cases, the ITC declined to institute an investigation as to certain proposed respondents due to inadequate pleading of importation.

Authentic Communications Today Increase Success for Value-Driven Clients Image

As the relationship between in-house and outside counsel continues to evolve, lawyers must continue to foster a client-first mindset, offer business-focused solutions, and embrace technology that helps deliver work faster and more efficiently.

The Power of Your Inner Circle: Turning Friends and Social Contacts Into Business Allies Image

Practical strategies to explore doing business with friends and social contacts in a way that respects relationships and maximizes opportunities.